Sunday, July 30, 2017

It's been a few days since I've looked at one of those little die-cast metal DC Comics figures from Jada Toys, so how about I make it up to you by reviewing 5 at once? Earlier this month while out searching for these little guys I found not only a plethora of single packs but also five packs. This one is called Pack A but there's also a Pack B. For under $5 bucks you get five die-cast metal DC minifigures. While three of these figures are available in single packs (The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg), this version of Batman and the Parademon are exclusive to this set. While these are comic styled figures, their is a pretty strong Justice League theme here that should nicely tie this set in with the upcoming film. Let's take a closer look at these minifigures after the break...

Friday, July 28, 2017

It's time for the same Gotham song and dance: I've only seen about 6 episodes of Gotham and I just haven't got around to watching more of it because I'm terrible at keeping up with most TV shows. That's not going to keep me from picking up a cool action figure of a Batman villain, though, especially when it's Mr. Freeze and he's $15 dollars. Yes, this is one of the Toys R Us releases that Diamond Select Toys is becoming known for: While he lacks the larger alley way display piece the later figure will come with (it's not out yet, so this is kind of a pre-release) it's also $10 cheaper. I'm not sure Mr. Freeze has ever had a character design that I didn't like (even Arnold had the look down in "the film I dare not name") and this one seems pretty slick. Played by Nathan Darrow, a quick glimpse at the Gotham wiki gives me the impression that this version of Victor Fries has a backstory that borrows heavily from the origin Paul Dini wrote for Batman: The Animated Series epsiode "Heart of Ice." You know, Mr. Freeze owes quite a bit to television: Not only did his most well known origin come from the animated TV series but the name Mr. Freeze was first used in the 1966 TV Series (in his first appearance in 1959's Batman #121, he was called Mr. Zero). Let's take a look at one of my favorite ice powered characters after the break, shall we?

Thursday, July 27, 2017

In episode #70 of The Confirmed Epic Podcast The Reel Brad Bell and AKA Andrew Stokes review the classic animated film: Batman Mask of the Phantasm in honor of the films recent blu-ray release, and spend the rest of our time recapping all the Epic News coming out of SDCC 2017.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

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Epic Podcast or The GWW in the itunes store!

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

In a very special bonus edition of The Confirmed Epic Podcast The Reel Brad Bell is joined by his former Pop Culture Potluck Podcast co-host, friend, and fellow Nolan follower: Wil Maney to review their most anticipated film of summer 2017: Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. We also discuss Christopher Nolan's apparent hatred for Netflix.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

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You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Earlier in the summer The Reel Brad Bell's Wife: Abby sat down to review her all time favorite film: Steven Spielberg's Jaws. This time the roles are reversed as Brad and Abby sit down to discuss for the first time ever on The Confirmed Epic Podcast Brad's all-time favorite film: Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on itunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast or The GWW in the itunes store!

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Sunday, July 23, 2017

There is probably nothing more within the entertainment landscape I enjoy more than a Christopher Nolan film. The filmmaker, claimed by me to be the best of his generation, has yet to make a bad movie either critically or commercially. As a fan of history, and self proclaimed Nolan follower, it was a no-brainer to put Dunkirk at the top of my most anticipated films of summer 2017. So could a film about a little known WWII battle live up to legacy of Nolan, and earn it's spot at the top of my list? Find out in our Dunkirk review after the break...

A couple of weeks back I watched the Suicide Squad: Extended Cut and you know what? I think Jared Leto is a pretty good Joker. Jared Leto had both the shadow of a number of previous great Joker performances hanging over his portrayal plus the questionable nature of some of his method acting stunts causing folks to preemptively hate whatever he did. While I'm not completely down with the fashion sense of the DCEU Joker, I do think Leto's performance is pretty impressive. I would love to see this Joker in another film with a slightly different style. While Harley Quinn was the true breakout star of the film, the Joker certainly did receive his fair share of merchandising. Today I'm looking at the die-cast metal minifigure of the character from Jada Toys' new DC Nano Metalfigs line. Let's take a closer look at this interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime after the break...

Saturday, July 22, 2017

It is a rare instance in Hollywood when a remake of a film or franchise surpasses the original, but that is exactly what happened Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Matt Reeve's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). Perhaps an even rarer occurrence in blockbuster filmmaking is when the end of a trilogy meets the expectations of two epic predecessors, from Return of the Jedi to Back to the Future Part III many iconic franchises and filmmakers have failed to complete a perfect story. Could Director Matt Reeve defy the typical Trilogy curse with War of the Planet of the Apes or better yet distinguish itself above its two previous near perfect predecessors? Find out in our War for the Planet of the Apes review after the break...

I know it's tough to get away from the excitement of SDCC 2017 (even those of us who aren't there are glued to our monitors awaiting new reveals) but I have a shelf filled with these little DC Nano Metalfigs from Jada Toys and I want to talk about them! Today I'm looking at Harley Quinn, a character who I'd argue is without a doubt now in DC's top ten most popular characters, and probably pushing the top five. Harley continues to grow in popularity so it makes perfect sense that Jada Toys would include her not once but twice in this new line. While the Suicide Squad version doesn't seem to be out yet (these are currently exclusive to Wal-Mart through the end of July, I believe, so we might be seeing a more limited early assortment) the classic comic version is available. Let's take a closer look at this die-cast metal Harley after the break, shall we puddins?

Friday, July 21, 2017

Here's another cool minifigure from my most recent toy run: The Green Lantern from Jada Toys' die-cast metal DC Nano Metalfigs! While the package simply calls this Green Lantern, this is clearly Hal Jordan. By the way, is anyone else kind of weirded out that the upcoming Justice League film features a Justice League without a Green Lantern? I mean, I know Martian Manhunter isn't there either, but the current roster needs at least one more member! I'm really hoping that we get a tease of some Green Lantern in this film. While it'd be cool to see Hal Jordan in the DCEU, I'd be fine with one of the newer Lanterns, too. Jessica Cruz and/ or Simon Baz would definitely be cool additions. Heck, how cool would it be to have the trio of Jessica, Simon, and Hal show up? Anyways, I'm not getting sidetracked because instead of multi million dollar Hollywood films, I'm supposed to be talking about a 97 cent metal minifigure. Let's check out the Green Lantern after the break...

Thursday, July 20, 2017

On episode #69 of the Confirmed Epic Podcast The Reel Brad Bell & AKA Andrew Stokes review the end to one of their all time favorite movie franchises: Matt Reeve's War for the Planet of the Apes. As always we get into the epic news items of the week, as well as what we have been checking out.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on itunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast or The GWW in the itunes store!

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Over the past few days I've looked at the DC Nano Metalfigs by Jada Toys that I first encountered on a trip to Wal-Mart (they're exclusive to Wal-Mart until sometime next month, I believe). I purchased four of these little guys, took them home, and then decided that I really liked them. For $1 they manage to feel like a value, scratch a collecting itch, and be decent minifigure renditions of a somewhat diverse DC Comics roster. I saw people talking about them on Facebook groups and what not and it seemed that other collectors were kind of digging them, too. I decided to go back later in the week to pick up some more and guess what? My Wal-Mart was nearly out of them! I checked a few other Wal-Mart stores near me and finally, just last Tuesday, did I find another store carrying these. This store carried not only the single figures but also the very cool five packs. I went on another buying spree and ended up with quite a cool collection of these little guys. Today I'm looking at another single carded figure in the series: The Batman v. Superman Batman. There has been no shortage of Batman collectibles based on Ben Affleck's portrayal of the Dark Knight, but I had no hesitations adding another one to the roster. Let's check out this menacing little minifigure after the break!

Monday, July 17, 2017

Today I'm checking out the fourth figure I picked up the first time I ran across these cool die-cast metal DC Nano Metalfigs from Jada Toys: Supergirl! Decked out in her New 52 outfit (which a good deal of licensees still seem to be using), Supergirl is a pretty cool looking minifigure. Again, I must point out that these figures are less than 2 inches tall, so seeing pictures of them close-up doesn't quite do them justice; it actually makes them look larger and shows off more of the imperfections in the paintwork. In person, though, these are incredibly appealing. Let's take a closer look at Supergirl after the break...

In the 33rd Edition of the Confirmed Epic Podcast we review one of our most anticipated films of Summer 2014: Matt Reeves Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In what we have been checking out The Reel Brad Bell, BBQ17, and Andrew Stokes discuss: Brian K. Vaughn’s: EX MACHINA, The World Cup, The WWE Network, TMNT Build a Bears, and the new Ninja Turtles movie figures by PlayMates. In Epic News we discuss: Colin Farrell potentially being in True Detective Season 2, the rumored return of Young Justice, and Batgirl’s new makeover. * This Podcast Originally Aired on July 14th 2014Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

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You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Here's the third figure from my first pickup of DC Nano Metalfigs from Jada Toys: Killer Croc! Waylon Jones has been many things: A man suffering from reptilian atavism. A murderer. Defender of the homeless. Roy Harper's AA sponsor. Arkham inmate. A member of the Suicide Squad. And, now, he's a tiny die-cast metal minifigure. To be honest, Croc is the guy who sold me on this line. Not only is he a cool minfiigure but he's not a character we see all the time in merchandising, thus his appearance in this line gave me some confidence that Jada Toys might be willing to go beyond the standard DC roster and possibly offer us a few surprises. I'm all about minifigures and Batman villains, so I was more than willing to drop 97 cents on this big fella. Er.. I mean little fellow. A small depiction of a big guy; how does that work? Let's check this guy out after the break...

Thanks to a gracious donation from listener: Timothy Belmont, The Epic Review proudly presents the episode you have been waiting for since 2014: The Reel Brad Bell and AKA Andrew Stokes review of Transformers 5 The Last Knight. We also get into what we have been checking out, and some epic news.Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on itunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast or The GWW in the itunes store!

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Yesterday I looked at one of the weaker figures in the new DC Nano Metalfigs line by Jada Toys and today I'm looking at one of the stronger figures: The Flash. While my biggest complaint with Desert Batman is that he has a fairly neutral and bland pose, the Flash avoids repeating that design flaw by having a dynamic pose. Since these little guys are made of die-cast metal, they can take dynamic poses much better than many minifigures that can sometimes wilt or tip over. Having a solid metal base on these really helps in displaying them, too! While these are currently exclusive to Wal-Mart, they should be hitting stores everywhere in the next couple of months and, especially considering their price, I think they make a pretty cool addition to both the toy aisle and to your toy collection. Let's take a closer look at the DC Nano Metalfigs the Flash after the break...

Friday, July 14, 2017

A week or two ago I stumbled across something pretty cool at my local Wal-Mart: An end cap of Nano Metalfigs from Jada Toys. Coming in at less than a dollar (.97 cents in my area), these small die-cast metal minifigures definitely appealed to me as an impulse buy kind of item. How often can you truly find any cool toys for less than a dollar? While Jada Toys has been putting out lots of die-cast metal figures from a variety of licenses in a larger scale, the Nano Metalfigs only cover three licenses currently: Harry Potter, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics. Being the huge DC fan and collector that I am, you know that I just had to pick up a few of these. First up in figure # DC2: Desert Batman from Batman v. Superman. Yeah, it's weird that he's called Desert Batman here since everyone else calls this outfit Knightmare Batman, but it's obvious this is the outfit from Bruce's vision in BvS. I love this costume so, for a buck, I decided to pick him up (along with a few others). Let's check out this tiny, solid steel Dark Knight after the break...

Thursday, July 13, 2017

A Jawa was one of the first 12 Star Wars action figures Kenner released in the vintage toyline and they also made it into the Power of the Force 2 within about a year and a half of that lines release. For the Black Series it has taken...nearly four years? Yup! That's either a testament to how expansive the Star Wars Universe has become or key evidence that Hasbro has a really bizarre release schedule for this line. You think that we'd be swimming in Jawas at this point, wouldn't you? Well, we've finally released the first Jawa in the line as part of the 40th Anniversary Collection and it's...kind of mixed, really. I mean, I like the figure as it looks fantastic and has some really nice design detail along with a few fun features. It's also a bit frustrating, too. Hey, it's the action figure of equivalent of Episode II! Let's take a closer look at this little guy after the break, shall we?

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Since I've purchased every unique Star Wars: The Black Series figure releases, there were only four figures I really needed to purchase from the 40th Anniversary collection: The Darth Vader Legacy pack, R5-D4, the Jawa (who I haven't reviewed yet), and today's star the Death Squad Commander. Now, let's address first things first, this isn't the vintage Kenner Death Squad Commander! That character had a different helmet and a grey uniform and only appeared on board the Death Star in a few specific scenes. This guy is your more standard Imperial Naval Trooper. As an Star Wars fan and action collector I definitely think the standard Imperial Naval Trooper is the more desirable figure to own but, considering that Hasbro marketed the 40th Anniversary Collection as a vintage themed line, it seems strange to release this guy rather than the grey outfitted Imperial. Hasbro has definitely treated a few of the vintage characters very oddly; almost antagonistically, really (hey Sim Aloo!). Regardless of personal preferences here, this is what we have and it has turned out to be a pretty strong figure. Let's take a closer look at this Naval Trooper after the break...

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Mattel has quite a hit on it's hands with the DC Super Hero girls line and over the past few months they've been expanding the roster with more characters and action figures. Not only is DC Super Hero girls a fun property but it's also been a dream come true for the DC Comics loving father of a toddler. Between Imaginext and DC Super Girls, I've had a lot of help getting my kid into DC Comics. While my daughter is more drawn to the 12 inch figures, as a collector of most DC figures in the 1/12th scale I'm digging the more traditional Super Hero girls action figures quite a bit. I only bought a few of them last year but, when I saw the line expanding and this cool 6 pick for sale, I decided to bite. A few weeks ago I found this fairly new set on sale at Target for $39.99 (it's usually $50) and had to bite. Not only did it include a decent roster of the Super Hero Girls with new paintjobs but it also includes Beast Boy, the first male character in the line. Let's take a closer look at the Action Collection 6-pack after the break...

Friday, July 7, 2017

It has been over a decade since audiences have been given a quality Spider-Man film with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 in 2004. After years of symbiotic let downs, and six sided false promises, arguably the most popular character in modern fiction was given a new hope when Sony reached a deal with Disney to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In 2016, the impossible happened when Disney revealed their new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, finding what seemed like the first true balance between both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. However as much of the Superhuman Civil War that Holland was able to steal via his slick web swinging and sheer joy. It was not quite a big enough sample size to reveal wether or not this new web-head was too good to be true; an answer that would have to be settled in Spider-Man's first true Marvel film: Jon Watt's Spider-Man Homecoming.

In the 67th edition of the confirmed epic podcast The Reel Brad Bell , AKA Andrew Stokes, and Jerry "Barbecue17" Reed review: the latest entry into the MCU: Jon Watts's Spider-Man Homecoming. Does the film reach Spider-Man 2 levels or is it a tad overrated? Tune in to find out! As always we get into the epic news items of the week, as well as what we have been checking out.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or tweet us @thereelbradbell

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on itunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast or The GWW in the itunes store!

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Thursday, July 6, 2017

The Confirmed Epic Comeback is a weekly to bi-weekly YouTube series that allows to examine the three to five biggest entertainment stories in 15 to 20 minutes. Beyond that, the purpose of the Confirmed Epic Comeback is to examine how these stories impact the broader entertainment landscape, not just regurgitate the news.

In our second episode we discuss: How emotional Batman should be in response to recent Matt Reeves comments, if comic team ups would work on film, and why specialty store exclusives are a good thing.

I've admitted before that I've only seen the first few episodes of Gotham and that hasn't changed since December when I reviewed series 3 of Diamond Select's tie-in action figure line. I really do want to watch the show, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm a terrible TV watcher. I think it's that by the time I get around to sitting down and watching TV, I'm usually more in the more in the mood for just watching something crazy like MST3K rather than something a bit more intense like Gotham. Anyways, before jumping into this review I want to point out two things. First, I don't know much about this incarnation of Azrael. In comics Azrael has been two different characters: Jean-Paul Valley and Michael Lane, but Gotham introduces a new character, Theo Galavan, as this incarnation of Azrael. Second, this is the Toys R' Us exclusive version of Azrael. For many of Diamond Select Toys' lines, Toys R Us have been given scaled down releases lacking the deluxe display bases Diamond typically includes. Originally I planned to order the standard releases of all of series 4 due to the cool GCPD jail cell that was supposed to be included as a build a display with the series, but Diamond Select announced that this was going to get scrapped in favor of more alley wall displays. I decided to hold off and pick up the TRU releases, which started popping up last month. I have no idea when the regular releases will hit, but the TRU releases only cost about $15 bucks each. For me, that was the magic price that convinced me to pick them up. Well, two of them anyways; Mr. Freeze was nowhere to be found at my local TRU. Azrael's up first, though, so let's check him out!

Monday, July 3, 2017

Today I'm completing the most recent series of Star Wars: The Black Series with a look at the Imperial Royal Guard. Yes, the Imperial Royal Guard. Like most everyone else I'm accustomed to calling these the Emperor's Royal Guards, so that's how I'll be be referring to them. Or ERG's for short. Regardless of the nomenclature you use for them, these guys have definitely been some of the most anticipated troop builders in the Black Series and it's nice to finally have them to chill out with Emperor Palpatine. While it's odd that Hasbro didn't pack these guys two to a case (granted, smart case packs have never been a part of this line), I did manage to find one on Amazon for retail price so they seem to be trickling out at a decent pace. Let's take a look at yet another excellent Imperial troop builder after the break...

Sunday, July 2, 2017

How crazy is it that we're living in a world where I've now reviewed five Bray Wyatt action figures and I'm getting ready to look at a sixth (there are a few others out there, but they weren't unique enough for me to bother grabbing them)? Bray Wyatt is one of my favorite WWE Superstars and his horror vibe always makes for a cool toy. Today I'm looking at a crazy release from the WWE Mutants sub-line and it's Bray Wyatt as an alligator. I actually traded a Goldust figure to a friend for this guy, and you know what? This is not the second Alligator Bray Wyatt figure in my home. Earlier this year when these first started showing up my 3 year old decided that she wanted this action figure in her Easter basket. She received him for Easter and still loves to play with him (you know how 3 1/2 year old girls are with their mutant alligator wrestling figures based on a crazed backwoods cult leader), but since we already had one in the house I decided to hold off. When the possibility of a trade arose, though, I couldn't exist. I now have my own alligator mutant Bray Wyatt and I decided the time is right to review him. Check out this absolutely insane action figure after the break...